If you had an ultrasound and they suspected cancer, would they send you for further test immediately?

[wakkasakka]

Or would they write to your GP to refer you for further tests?

I had an ultrasound and then a guided biopsy after something was seen on the ultrasound.

Was that just after a standard NHS ultrasound appointment?
Thanks for replying

The results of my ultrasound were sent to my GP. I went to see her and she told me she would refer me under the 2 week wait. At that appointment I was offered a date for surgery within 3 weeks. I didn’t need further treatment and no cancer was found.

In my experience yes they would arrange further tests straight away. With the relevant department.

The GP has already made the referral, there would be no point getting a re-referral once you have an 'in' with the oncology team. It may be that you need to wait for these further tests but you should be given an idea of the state of play before you go any further.

What's your situation op?

I recently had a pelvic ultrasound after going to the GP with various symptoms which could have been ovarian cancer. The referral was classed as urgent for suspected cancer.

The ultrasound showed a mass that didn't look overly suspicious but was internally ambiguous. Its origin was also obscured (could have been ovarian or uterine), so I was referred for an MRI. This was done by my GP after they'd received the ultrasound report, not the ultrasound department, and was still on the suspected cancer pathway. (The MRI characterised the mass as benign).

Yes straight after a standard NHS ultrasound appointment. Both done on the same day. I imagine it will vary for different NHS trusts

@flourella that's pretty much exactly what has happened to me- just different area of the body

The sonographer didn't say anything except she can't see it properly and it doesn't look aggressive. That word made me think cancer 😔

She said she will write to my GP to refer me for an MRI.

@wakkasakka the sonographer who did mine was quite chatty and did say she wasn't too worried about the mass. It had some internal blood flow which is more suggestive of malignancy in ovarian masses, so I was very worried about it despite her reassurances about its overall appearance and the fact she wasn't even sure it was an ovarian anything. Turned out to be a fibroid projecting out from the outer wall of the uterus and butting up against the ovary.

Sounds like you are going through something really similar to me so far in terms of process, so I hope you get the same outcome and the MRI shows yours is benign.

"The sonographer didn't say anything except she can't see it properly and it doesn't look aggressive. That word made me think cancer 😔"

I would understand this as that she may have seen something, however it doesn't look like cancer. Hopefully the MRI appointment will be able to resolve the issue and won't take too long to come through.

@flourella thank you for sharing that.

Can I ask how long you waited for your MRI?

@Mistymountain I am hoping that I misinterpreted it.
There is definitely something there as I have a huge moveable lump on my back! The doctor originally said it was a lipoma and didn't rush me for an appointment.
The sonographer never mentioned lipoma and said it is in my muscle and she can't see it enough.

The waiting is painful 😣

For me it was a CT scan that found a mass, then they referred me for urgent ultrasound, as well as writing to my GP at the same time if that makes sense. Then I had surgery 8 weeks later and am currently waiting on the results from that surgery, the lab messed up so it's been a long wait

I'm not sure how the NHS is managing with the urgent referrals at the moment; it probably varies from trust to trust. Things have probably also changed since September/October when I was referred. It should have been within two weeks but ended up being four, although that was partly my fault. The first appointment I was offered was within 3 weeks of referral, but I have some difficulties with medical procedures due to boring reasons I won't go into. When I outlined these to the MRI team they suggested a slightly longer appointment at my local trust's quieter hospital.

@Decafflatteplease thank you for sharing that. I hope you get positive news

@flourella I know, NHS is crumbling. Right when I need it 😔

@wakkasakka I hope your appointment comes through soon and the MRI shows that it is a lipoma or something else benign. The waiting is awful, I know.

@flourella thank you for sharing your experience, and for the kind words

Has anyone suggested a biopsy?

I had an ultrasound and they saw something suspicious. The hospital arranged a CT for the next day. It was extremely quick and they didn't need to get a referral from my doctor. The CT scan confirmed cancer and I was seen by a consultant 2 days later. So all 3 appointments were within a week. Surgery a few weeks later. NHS - I was very impressed with the speed it all happened.

@mathanxiety not one word of a biopsy. Should I consider that positive?

@SallyWD thank you for sharing. That's incredibly quick! I hope you have recovered

Good luck. I hope it's nothing serious. I know what an anxious time it is. I'm fine now thanks.